


Original CIN

by csbanahan



Series: The End of Omnipotence [6]
Category: Sleepless Domain (Webcomic)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29790675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csbanahan/pseuds/csbanahan
Summary: Being a magical girl isn't an island. There's always others waiting and willing to help you. Sometimes you don't even have to ask.(Featuring Team Witch and Molly Mahou).
Relationships: Candice Willaims/Olivia Smith
Series: The End of Omnipotence [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111685
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

_Today was ruined._

The thought haunted Olivia Smith as she hesitantly made her way to the tram station. She didn't want to be in a crowd. Not now. Not in this dress. She can't blend in like this. They're all going to look at her and wonder what the deal is with the girl in the yellow dress and gray stocking cap. She looked weird. She looked _wrong._ This wasn't her. This wasn't how she wanted people to think of her. She wasn't a _dress-wearer._ She was a black T-shirt and jeans wearer. Ideally the jeans would also be black. Some color was allowed (even pink) if the shirt was a concert T. She'd never get through the door of the 201 looking like this. Not without a _lot_ of laughs. Would she ever be able to go back to the 201? No matter what Julie said, she wasn't Power Weapon anymore. She had no more power, she had no more presence or aura. She was just a frail, scared child in a yellow fucking dress. If she wasn't frail she would walk home instead of taking the damn tram. The gym was helping sure, but she wasn't ready to walk that far yet.

_Nobody's looking at you. You don't look stupid. You don't stand out. Relax. Hold it together long enough to get home and you can put this bullshit behind you._

Blessedly the tram wasn't packed so she was able to get a little breathing room in the back. At least that's what she initially thought until 2 suspicious girls breathlessly jumped on the last second. Clearly magical girls judging from their hair.

_Ok there are still plenty of seats elsewhere so they'll just sit down somewhere else and they look like they're looking for somebody and they're looking this way and **oh shit no they're looking for me.** Please no. Not this, not today. What can they want? What the hell can magical girls want with me? _

Much to Olivia's chagrin, both girls took a seat nearby. Olivia couldn't help but note that the green-haired one was looking at her in doe-eyed awe. There was something about being looked at like that that made Olivia terribly uncomfortable.

 _"Holy shit you're Power Weapon."_ Maria Greene could barely contain her excitement. Her hero, not even 5 feet away from her. She never thought she'd see this day. She didn't get her powers until Power Weapon lost hers and at that point she completely fell off the map.

"Nope, got me mistaken for somebody else kid." Olivia knew it was hopeless but she blurted out the lie anyway. She knew that however much she might not look like herself at the moment she wasn't exactly in disguise and was in fact pretty easy to recognize if you had ever seen her before.

"Nuh-uh. Your face is pretty unique. Nobody else has piercings like that."

Olivia thought maybe she should try the brusque approach.

"Ok kid you got me, what the fuck do you want?" Olivia knew as soon as the words came out she had felt. There was no fire to them, they limped weakly out of her mouth; the flaccid words of a girl who was at present deeply embarrassed.

"Holy shit I am totally your biggest fan! How are you? Where have you been? Why are you dressed like that?" Maria caught a fleeting glare from her sister Elizabeth at that last question.

Failing the brusque approach (and what Power Weapon fan would be put off by brusqueness anyway) Olivia opted for brevity.

"Shitty, retired, lost a bet." Olivia immediately realized she shouldn't have said shitty.

"Shitty? What's wrong? Is it anything we can help with? We're magical girls too you know. I'm Maria and this is my sister Elizabeth. We're Team Witch."

Olivia realized trying to blow Maria off was hopeless. She was going to have to earnestly engage these two like an adult. Even if it went without saying that her problems were none of theirs.

"Just a bad day."

"Oh. How's the post-magical girl life treating you?" It was now Maria's turn to be embarrassed. She was finally living a dream. _The_ Power Weapon in front of her and all she could come up with was dime-store small talk.

"Never lose your powers kids."

Although Elizabeth Greene lacked her sister's interest in Olivia that question piqued her curiosity. "Why not? I mean, didn't it wear you out doing it for years? Being scared that you'd come back home for sure? Worrying your loved ones? Having to split school life and magical girl life?"

Olivia sized up Elizabeth. She could tell immediately that she was an innocent little butternut squash of a girl. And she knew that she was going to have a hard time answering those questions in a way that wouldn't traumatize her. And she definitely knew that there was absolutely, positively no way in hell she was going to admit that was more frightened at this very moment in time than she ever was out there.

"I didn't worry about that stuff. I just fought. Fighting feels right. Not fighting just sucks."

"See Elizabeth, that's why Power Weapon is the best. She knows what's important and she's not afraid to stand up and tell it like it is no matter who is asking! Also pulling box cutters out of your sleeves is awesome. Even though I personally use a knife."

Olivia was able to bust out a tiny smirk at the notion of this star-struck child stabbing monsters with a knife. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Shame it had to fucking go away."

"So what's up these days? Gone from fighting monsters to fighting humans?"

"Kid, look at me. Without my powers _you_ could probably kick my ass. I'm nothing without them." Olivia had no idea why she blurted that out. Every time she was confronted with the notion of fighting that lunged out of her mouth. Some sort of ridiculous self-flagellation. And now she just yelled it to her last surviving fan.

For her part, Maria was stunned. She had no idea how to react to it so she simply changed the subject. "So...ummm...we saw you with another girl. She looked an awful lot like Power Pop."

"Yes that was Power Pop." Olivia was more than happy to change the subject.

"You two hang out? Wait, is she who you lost the bet to?"

"Yes...well really it was more of a dare than a bet." Olivia saw no more reason to lie about it. "I did this to get her to get her nose pierced."

"Wow really? I never figured you hung out much aside from being magical girls together."

Even though Elizabeth had little particular interest in Olivia on her own there was always a little question that popped up in her head whenever Olivia would show off any merchandise or media that had both Power Weapon and Power Pop on it. She didn't want to ask as it was really none of her business but if the conversation was headed that way anyway...

"..Are...are you and Power Pop...a _couple?"_

Olivia's cheeks turned maroon. Her first impulse was deny, deny, deny. It was bad enough Julie knew. The public could not know that the most badass magical girl to ever walk the earth was a _couple_ with her saccharine partner.

Her second impulse was to come clean.

"Yeah actually. Candi is my _girlfriend."_ Olivia admitted to herself that it felt wonderful to say that to people. Maybe 'Power Weapon' was embarrassed to be in love with her partner but Olivia? Olivia felt that the notion that her love of Candi was something to be hidden was disgusting. It was in the running to be the most wonderful thing that ever happened to her (as much as she loved Candi the night she got her powers was so momentous that it can not be moved from the pinnacle so casually). It was something to be proud of. It was something to _celebrate!_

Maria meanwhile struggled to pick her jaw up off the floor.

"No way..."

"What? You got a problem with my partner?"

"Um...no." Maria didn't have a problem with Power Pop. She simply couldn't understand how she could form a team with her hero. "Just...she doesn't seem like your...type?"

Olivia thought about giving Maria a hard time about this but decided that the viewpoint was understandable. "I know. We seem like an odd pair huh? I ain't gonna go into details, just know that your hero thinks Candi..." Olivia thought twice about using her full name "Power Pop is the most wonderful person she's ever met."

"I guess the candy girl was the peanut butter to your dark chocolate huh." Maria smirked.

So didn't Olivia.

"So...ummm...can I get your autograph?" Maria couldn't hold back the question of the hour anymore.

"Sorry kid I don't have a pen. And you don't have anything to sign anyway." 

Elizabeth frantically searched the bags she bought from the craft store. "I have some laundry markers here."

"Oooh oooh sign my shirt!"

"Uhhh alright." Olivia grabbed the pen and started to write her name on the collar of Maria's shirt. She got as far as 'O' before realizing 'oh wait you probably want me to sign this as Power Weapon."

"Oh yeah if you don't mind. Actually I don't even know what your civvie name is?"

"Olivia" _Why  
_

Maria bristled. Even though she asked somehow knowing her hero's civilian name felt strange and wrong to her. And _Olivia?_ That was the name of a fashion model or a pop idol, not the punk queen of magical girls.

"Alright there you go." Olivia said as she resealed the marker and gave it back to Elizabeth.

"How's it look?"

Elizabeth looked slightly dismayed.

"You can barely read it."

Maria looked down at her new collector's item with a chuckle. "Well obviously, it's upside down."

"Look, signing a shirt somebody's wearing on a bus is hard ok!" Olivia took offense at the shade being thrown at her signature.

"It doesn't matter if you can read it easy or not. I know what it says and it's not like this is the first hard to read signature ever? I mean do you have any idea how hard it is to forge mom's signature Elizabeth?"

Sometimes Elizabeth couldn't tell if her sister was joking or not.

Through all this, something prodded at Olivia. _Why does this girl still care? Power Weapon is dead. Does she know she's not actually talking to Power Weapon right now? Why did Julie still care? Legend? What world does she live in? Magical girls get forgotten the second their hair changes back. What is up with these people?_

"So anyway...um...why do you care? You know I'm ABC gum at this point? No powers, no flavor. Yesterday's news."

"Are you _KIDDING?_ We all fight the fight out there but you were like a badass goddess! I _worship_ you!"  
  
_Goddess. Worship._

A needle skipped in Olivia's head. Fire consumed her brain, nausea filled her guts.

_You are to be the perfect vessel for The Founder's power. A savior. A second coming. A goddess even. A cleansing fire to purge the filth of the night._

_What farce is this? So you got the dream? So what? Everything about this is wrong. This isn't the countenance of a goddess. This isn't the power of a savior. This is mockery. Vulgarity. Failure. You've wasted my life, now get out of my sight while I figure out what I'm supposed to do from here. \_

_I'm still a magical girl mater. 'Exalted be those touched with The Founder's blessing. May none be burdened by malison by those who hold The Founder as sacrosanct.' **The Righteous Words 3-7**._ _I am still a vessel for his power and I will be treated as such._

_< A silent tantrum, a storming off. A second true taste of power...but not divinity. Never divinity>_

"I'M NOT YOUR GODDESS KID! I'M NOT ANYBODY'S GODDESS! I NEVER WILL BE ANYBODY'S GODDESS! Shit...I'm sorry ok. I'm sorry I'm not your fucking goddess. Don't...don't fucking worship me. Fucking ridiculous." Olivia sputtered out words with a righteous rage tempered by a sort of shame she had never before experienced. Still fluctuation between angry and apologetic mutters she stormed off the bus before Maria's apology could reach her ears.

"Power Weapon wait!" Seeing Olivia leave the bus in such a state made Maria think the only logical thing to do was to follow her. But as she went to jump to her feet a hand on her shoulder held her down.

"Maria, no."

"Why not?"

"I don't think she wants us following her right now."

"But...but..." Maria had been getting an impression of Olivia over the course of her conversation, one she didn't want to face. But with that outburst it was obvious it was there. "...she needs help Maria."

Elizabeth was surprised Maria had come to this conclusion about her longtime hero, even if it was blindingly obvious based on how the conversation ended alone, but wanted to see what insights her sister had on the subject.

"Oh?"

"I mean it's obvious isn't it? Her whole body language. She didn't look me in the eye for that entire conversation, she was constantly trying to cover her body with her arms like she didn't want people looking at her. That cap doesn't match her dress at all. Why was she even wearing it?"

"It's kind of chilly outside."

"Yeah but that ain't why. I got a peek at her shopping bag. Hair dye. Black. And nothing else. She's hiding her hair I think."

"That might be a bit of a stretch."

"And the stuff she was saying ' _Never lose your powers kids. Without my powers I'm nothing.'"_

"Are you surprised she feels that way?"

"No but like...it's still messed up." Maria pondered her next words for a second. "Do you think Power Weapon is a... _nahou?"_

"Nahou?"

"You've never heard of it? It's like...a girl who can't get over losing their powers."

"Oh, um..." Elizabeth couldn't bring herself to call Olivia 'a textbook case' "I can see why you'd think so."

"That's just messed up...just...people look down on nahous Elizabeth. Think they're nuts who just cling to the past. Power Weapon isn't like that! She's brave and she's bold and nobody in this city is better at being themselves no matter what others think! Why is she acting like that?'

"Well Maria if you say Olivia excels at 'being herself' what if in her mind 'herself' means 'being a magical girl'? And then once she stopped being a magical girl she stopped knowing what...herself is."

"Dammit! That's not right! She can't be that messed up." Even though Maria saw it with her own eyes, the notion that maybe her hero wasn't good at being her hero anymore was a tough pill to swallow. "if something has happened to make her _that_ messed up she needs help."

"Maybe so but what can we do? We have no way to contact her and how would we help her even if we could find her again?"

"Ugh...I don't know. But I know somebody who might."

"Mom?"

"Don't make me say it out loud."

"I won't. But how do we get home?"

"Maybe the tram? Like the one we're on."

"We're on the wrong tram."

Maria for the first time realized this important truth.

"Oh...well I hope mom doesn't mind that we're a little late."


	2. Chapter 2

_You are to be the perfect vessel for The Founder's power. A savior. A second coming. A goddess even. A cleansing fire to purge the filth of the night._

_Why not? I mean, didn't it wear you out doing it for years? Being scared that you'd come back home for sure? Worrying your loved ones? Having to split school life and magical girl life?_

_This isn't the countenance of a goddess. This isn't the power of a savior. This is mockery. Vulgarity. Failure._

_I'M NOT YOUR GODDESS KID! I'M NOT ANYBODY'S GODDESS! I NEVER WILL BE ANYBODY'S GODDESS! Shit...I'm sorry ok. I'm sorry I'm not your fucking goddess. Don't...don't fucking worship me. Fucking ridiculous._

_I'm sorry I'm not your goddess._

It was the first time in Olivia's life that thought had ever crossed her mind. She certainly wasn't sorry when she awoke to her powers, only to see a rebel in the mirror rather than a savior. She absolutely wasn't sorry when her _Mater_ accused her of ruining her life. She spent the entirety of her tenure as a magical girl too enraptured with the thrill of the hunt to care that she couldn't destroy them all forever. She knew Candi lacked her passion but it didn't stop her from keeping up. But that Elizabeth...

_Why not? I mean, didn't it wear you out doing it for years? Being scared that you'd come back home for sure? Worrying your loved ones? Having to split school life and magical girl life?_

_"She wasn't really asking how **I** felt about it was she? She doesn't want this. She wants this for her sisters' sake, not her own. If a goddess had emerged 6 years ago and made it that no girl would ever have to be a magical girl again she'd live a happy, fulfilled life. How many others out there are like her? How many others did I let down?"_

Olivia was lost in these thoughts, so much so that she didn't realize she jumped off the back several stops from her apartment and had a considerable walk ahead of her. Her legs simply moved her in the direction of home while her mind ran its own race.

_You were like a badass goddess! I worship you!_

_"Worship me? My entire childhood was the result of soulless people trying to create something to be worshiped. It didn't work. I'm not a goddess. That something **they** wanted. Worshiping me is giving them their way. Worshiping me is validating them. It's telling them that they succeeded if only a little bit. If everybody was like that girl then my Mater and Pater succeeded. They didn't succeed. They failed. I am not their success. I am not their validation and I am not their goddess."_

Olivia knew this to be true. She never looked back on herself as goddess-that-wasn't. She equated the word 'goddess' with all the time her makers controlled her life. Their failed attempt at divinity was her liberation.

_"Then why am I sorry?"_

_"Then why did it feel just a little good when she said that? After all this, did I want to be a goddess all along? Just a girl who would erupt from her dream in a flash of light, disintegrate all the monsters, maybe destroy the barriers and all the monsters that could lie beyond? So girls like Elizabeth don't have to reluctantly risk their lives. So girls like Maria can find better heroes than somebody who was never good for anything else but fighting and doesn't even have that anymore. Then what? Would I ever get to be a person? Would I ever truly know what it's like to be a human being? Would my parents still exert control over me, even in my divinity? I didn't hate them. Not at first. I was afraid of them. Terrified sometimes. It wasn't until I had the power to resist them that I could see they were nothing to be afraid of. It wasn't until I saw the world that I could understand how contemptible they were. It wasn't until I saw their plans that I realized they were truly monstrous. And even as I feared them I held onto the hope that it would all be worth it because I was going to save the city? If it had come to fruition, would I still fear them? Would I love them for making me what I was? What control would they have then? Not just over me but over everybody._

A mote of nausea took seed in Olivia's stomach. She quickly tried to choke it down.  
  
 _"It doesn't fucking matter. It was all nonsense anyway. None of their 'rituals' had any actual basis in...anything actually. They made it all up and convinced themselves it would work. Their faith in it was absolute. Stupid. Faith doesn't change reality. Reality happens regardless of you believe will happen no matter how sincerely or strongly you believe it. And even then if it had worked; I become a vessel for the Founder's Power. The Founder founded the city. She didn't destroy the monsters. With all her might all she could do was barricade us from the worst of it. Not even all of it, just most of it. If the first coming of the founder couldn't save the world how the fuck was the second coming supposed to do it? I wish I could ask them. **No I don't**. I never want to talk to them ever again. And even if I changed my mind, they're fucking dead. It was the only way I could be truly free...and also fuck them. I can't imagine what shit they would have tried to pull without me around." _

Never once did she look back on her decision, to steal their flares, to shatter the barrier and run away. She never thought of herself as a murderer. She seldom thought about it at all. That night was only momentous because it was the first night she was truly free. She was free and they were gone. And she wasn't about to start ruminating on it now.

_"Then why did it feel good to be worshiped if being a goddess is bullshit and I was never actually going to be one anyway? Maybe it's just the...attention? First Julia then Maria. Wait, is her name 'Julia' or 'Julie'...fuck I can never remember, who cares? Barely know her really. Shit I miss the 201. It wasn't worship...I don't think, but the adulation was...great. Was it great? Did I ever really think about it? I mean doing this shit for attention is what sucky shitty idol magical girls do. Dammit that isn't fair, sure they might seem kinda shallow but girls like Team Forte and Team Outrageous fight the same fight I did. That poor poster girl for registration fucking died...they fight the same fight and I need to remember that. And they need to remember that. Sure I didn't kiss Marissa Kay's ass but that shouldn't be the line between treating somebody like the guest of honor and writing takedown songs about them should it? I mean are they really that different from the Foundationists in the sense that they judge magical girls for monetizing their work? Shit I don't want to think about the 201 like that. I don't. They were so cool and I felt so special there. But why do I hate Marissa Kay's sort of adulation and love theirs? Is it because theirs feels real? Is it because Julia said that they weren't the type to just forget about a magical girl just because she wasn't a magical girl anymore? Is it because I didn't see the same kind of mercenary soullessness in their eyes that I saw in Kay's? Was that even real or was it preferable to just see what I wanted to see rather than I admit I was afraid? Fine! I was afraid. Marissa Kay scared me. Maybe because she was a soulless corporate drone, maybe because she a was a person who was asking me things. But then what? I actually engage with Marissa Kay on TV like a normal person instead of a feral wombat and the 201 thinks I'm a sellout shit. Pink P*ss* is shitting on me on stage? Are they suddenly so fucking cool then? Fuck them. I don't need them...but then again it was awesome and I can't really be high and mighty about it while I don't even 100% disagree with them can I?"_

Olivia chewed on that point for a bit. She remembered times when bands (especially the aforementioned Pink P*ss*, a band dedicated to taking down magical girl idol culture via music and shock value. They were one of her favorite bands even if their pre-song screeds about whatever magical girl was in the news that day started to piss her off the more time progressed.

_Why was I embarrassed when Julia saw me in the dress? Is she going to go and laugh about it at the 201 tonight? is she gonna spill the beans about me and Candi. Fine, fucking let her. They'll have a good old time getting shitfaced and laughing about how their one-time hero has become domesticated. I don't **want** to be domesticated! I want to be the person that the 201 sucks up to. That's Power Weapon, they suck up to Power Weapon. I doubt they give two shits about Olivia Smith. The only people who give a shit whether Olivia lives or dies are Candi, Maria and their...most of their families. Even Elizabeth and that other Maria don't really. They don't even know me. That Maria would probably be happier if the only Power Weapon she knew was the one on her merchandise. That's the signature she wanted right? Power Weapon. Nobody wants Olivia Smith's autograph. Why do I care? I don't want fuckin' randos coming up asking me to write my name on shit anyway. Damn it it was so much easier when I thought the world forgot about Power Weapon. Just try to accept Power Weapon is gone and live life as Olivia Smith, boring scrawny leech. But now she's still alive to some people and that makes her alive to me and it reminds me how much fucking better I had it when I was Power Weapon! But Power Weapon...she couldn't love. She couldn't cry. She couldn't reach out. No matter how much Candi tried Power Weapon was alone. She had to be alone. If she wasn't alone she wasn't Power Weapon. Why would I want to be that again? I have Candi now. I mean, I **really** have Candi now. Maria, our Maria is a friend instead of some new kid we let tag along. I have a mom..well the closest thing to a mom I can get in Gail Alvarez. And maybe even a dad in Pops Williams. So Olivia has that instead of stupid powers that will get her killed one day and the adulation of a bunch of punk assholes. How is this a contest?  
_

The thoughts in Olivia's head were so overwhelming she barely noticed that she had effortlessly traversed the distance from the tram stop to her home.

"GOOD-BYE FUCKING DRESS!" Olivia followed up on her promise and threw the skirt and blouse into the closet, hopefully to get buried forever. No point in putting it in the wash, she wouldn't be wearing it again. The next thing she did was search her closet for appropriate nightwear.

"Into the Breach? No. Bad Foundation? Nah. Pink P*ss*? Fuck no. Dead Black Eyes, Screaming Miasma, Deadfall... _is every shirt I own a shitty concert T?_ Come on I know I have some plain black shirts in here somew..." Olivia's rant stopped as her hand brushed against something she wasn't expecting to feel. "Flannel. That's right Candi got me other clothes for my birthday too. Flannel. This doesn't look too bad. I'm only wearing it to bed anyway. It feels warm...good. It was too cold out for that yellow dress bullshit anyway. I have a chill." For the first Candi thought of how cold she was. Indeed the day was more a wool stocking cap day than a yellow skirt day. Olivia was simply too busy feeling self-conscious to notice. She pulled the flannel from her closet and looked at her bed.

_Candi, I thought you weren't going to lug your grandma's quilt back and forth?_

_I'm not. I'm leaving it here._

_You don't have to do that._

_I don't want to bring it to the dorm and I sleep here more than I sleep at my parents'. This is where it belongs. For now anyway._

_"Yeah, there are definitely upsides to being Olivia Smith."_ Olivia thought to herself as she began slipping the flannel on.

_Can Olivia Smith be a flannel girl? Maybe. This is comfy. Not too girly either. Not the sort of thing that will draw attention to me. I'm done with attention..._

_..._

**_Am_** _I done with attention? Just being another person sounds so dreadful. The world is filled with 'just another persons' but there was only one Power Weapon. Once Power Weapon is well and truly gone what's left? A statistic. Those 3 magical girls awhile back were mentioned by name. There was a public funeral for them. It was on the news. If a monster broke in and killed me tonight I'd just be 'One Killed in Breach' and everybody would be happy that the magical girls at least kept the damage to a minimum. They would be the important part of the story. I'd just be rotting meat. I don't want to be rotting meat. But what am I now? Candi's going to run her own bakery once she graduates and gets the money. Maria's going to wrestle on her 18th birthday and will probably be a big star. I bet even that sugarplum fairy that Maria is teaming with right now is just gonna work at her dad's business and make card games. They have presents and futures. Me? I don't know what to do and don't know how to do it? What is Olivia Smith good at? Not math that's for fucking sure. The only thing Olivia Smith is good at is being a whiny parasite. Just a time bomb without the good sense to explode._

Olivia's ideation was interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

_Oh shit it's Candi. Fucking keep it together. Keep it together. Don't let her know how you are. She'll freak out and want to come over and it's bullshit for me to drag her around like that with my bullshit. Just keep it together! Fuck._

"Candi...hi."

<<Are you feeling any better?>>

"Yeah...yeah I think so. I just needed to get out of those clothes."

<<I'm sorry I made you wear them>>

"What did I say? Nobody made anybody do anything today. We pushed our boundaries, had a little fun. Things just went a little too far for me. It wasn't your fault. I just needed to change my clothes and have a little 'me' time to unwind ok?"

<<Are you sure you're ok?>>

_"I don't really want to lie to her but what else can I do?"_

"Yes. I'm fine. I'll be fine. I'm wearing the flannel shirt you gave me. I'm going to crawl under your Nanas awesome blanket and I'm going to have an early night's sleep and tomorrow will be another day ok? Don't worry about me. You have college things to do."

<<My piercing really itches>>

"Take it out and disinfect the area. Be sure to put it back in after though. For a few days anyway. If you don't the piercing will heal over and it will have been for nothing."

<<Ok. I'm gonna go do that now. I love you.>>

"I love you too. Bye."

_"Damn it I had to fucking lie. This is bullshit and I'm not ok and I'm having a billion thoughts and they all contradict each other and this is all HORSESHIT! Who can I even talk to about it? How can I even talk about it? It's all rambling. I'm not dragging Candi into this right now. Maria...damn it I'm her sempai or whatever the fuck that word is I'm not supposed to go to HER with MY problems. Bad enough I did it once. Ma Alvarez? Will she even want me around knowing half the fucked up shit that's in my head? She has her own family to deal with. And a company. She doesn't need me whining at her AND leeching off of her. Wait shit...Maria said something that night...MAGICS? Like they helped fucked up magical girls. Shit she gave me paperwork. Where the fuck is it?"  
_

A quick bout of cleaning off the kitchen and living room tables later she found it under some leftover takeout, a few splotches but none the worse for wear. 

_"Is this even going to work? Are these MAGICS even on the up-and-up? Who does this shit for free? Is it free? Because I can't afford much. Ok wait I already tried to fill this out...Citizen's Identification Number? What the FUCK is a Citizen's Identification Number? Magical Girl Registration ID? I registered 6 fucking years ago how the fuck am I supposed to have that handy? I didn't even register, the CDD did it for me. Birth Certificate..."_

_Miss Smith there appears to be a small problem processing your registration for Future's Promise. You don't appear to have a birth certificate on record._

_Does that mean I'm not going to be able to go to school?_

_No, we'll figure something out but can you think of any reason why your parents might not have registered your birth with the city?_

_"THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS! Fucking me from beyond the grave. They probably never told the city I existed. I don't even fucking know why? They were insane assholes the fuck am I supposed to know why they did it? No birth certificate. Can't even finish these fucking papers. FUCK! No wonder I gave up last time. This is bullshit. Fuck this, I'm going to bed."_

At least one thing went right for Olivia that night. Nana Williams' blanket kept the bad thoughts away and the tears from welling up. Mostly.  



	3. Chapter 3

"Where were you girls." Jane Greene already had enough problems fretting over her girls once the sun set and the barrier rose, having to worry about them during the day as well was just too much.

"We took the wrong tram." Elizabeth was the first to speak up as Maria was trying to filter out the sass that was the first thing to come to mind.

"How did you take the wrong tram?"

"We met Power Weapon!" For all the confusion and consternation she left the encounter with, Maria couldn't contain her excitement.

"And she told you to take the wrong tram?"

"We followed her to the wrong tram! I had to meet her!"

Jane was hardly surprised. Maria's adoration of that magical girl through her developmental years had been a headache for her. She could only do her best to make sure Maria didn't become completely like her during her teenage years. She rated her success as 'sufficient'.

"So what was it like?"

"It was great...sorta." Maria's enthusiasm deflated. She knew she had to ask her mom for help. She didn't care to do that. Teens arn't supposed to crawl to their moms for everything, much less magical teens.

Maria's reaction didn't surprise Jane at all. _Never meet your heroes_ so they say.

"Sounds like it really wasn't that great."

Maria struggled to bring out the words, so Elizabeth filled in.

"It was odd. She was nicer than you'd expect. Not exactly _nice_ , but nicer."

"Something was off about her." It was all Maria could come out with for an opening salvo.

"That's not surprising. She's an adult now. She's been retired for...a year now?" Jane had the feeling she knew where this conversation was going and the least she could do was to gently steer it in that direction. "That changes people."

"Yeah, she changed a lot." Maria said wistfully... "I think she's...a nahou."

"Don't call them that young lady." Jane almost said _us._

"But isn't what they're called? Girls who can't deal with not being magical girls anymore?"

"Yes, but it's a label that turns people who are suffering from legitimate issues into a subject of mockery."

"But it's kinda sad isn't it? I mean you know it isn't going to be forever? Why can't they let go?" Maria was having her perceptions challenged and she desperately needed to understand why.

"Maria have you ever noticed something about my face?"

"It's old?" Maria couldn't help herself.

"I'm not that old. Try harder. Something unique. Something _tattooed on my face..."_

"Your scowl?"

"I thought you came to me for help."

"Sorry."

"This tattoo right here? It was dangerous. It involved a needle piercing my skin dangerously close to my eye for an extended period of time. A flinch from me, a twitch from the artist, and I'm wearing an eyepatch."

Neither girl had ever considered just _how_ their mother had gotten her tattoo.

"Then why'd you do it?" Elizabeth was shocked and confused by the revelation. Maria couldn't help but think of how cool her mom would look with an eyepatch.

"Because at the time I looked into the mirror, saw the sigil that I had for years gone and so was so sickened I decided I would rather _not see_ that see that."

Maria was stunned to learn her mom was like Olivia once.

"You were a...you struggled with that too?"

"I think most magical girls do on some level or another. The more deeply you wrap your sense of self in your powers the worse it was. I knew the powers weren't forever. I tried to prepare for the inevitable. But when the day time I still couldn't cope. And there's something about that Power Weapon that always made me think she might put too much stock in being a weapon rather than a person."

"Yeah. She was weird mom." Maria finally felt comfortable enough to tell Jane everything that went down during the conversation and her own personal observations. Despite this she still couldn't help but show off at the end.

"But she still gave me this autograph!" Maria said, proudly displaying her shirt.

"What does that say?"

"Power Weapon."

"Really? That first letter looks kind of like an O."

Maria made a mental note to check that out once she took the shirt off.

"But that's not the point. I don't get why somebody would flip out at the idea of somebody saying they worshiped them."

"People are triggered by different things. If you don't know their lives it can be confusing."

"But...if she's...struggling like that I think she needs help."

"You might be right. But what do you plan on doing about it?"

Maria could feel fire and water welling up in her heart. "I don't know. I don't. But I know she needs help. I was hoping you'd know. That's why I asked you. You got through it? Did you get help?"

Jane felt helpless. She really didn't know how to help a magical girl she didn't know. But then she reflected on Maria's question _Did you get help?_

"Maria, I'm not really sure how much we can help a girl you don't really know. It's a longshot but if anybody I know is in a position to help it's Molly Maho."

Maria felt dumb for not thinking about Molly sooner. It simply didn't occur to her that Molly could help with things of that nature.

"I NEED TO TALK TO HER THEN!"

"Maria honey one more question; How can you help Power Weapon if you have no way of contacting Power Weapon? I can't imagine she gave you any contact information. You didn't follow her home did you?"

"No she didn't." Elizabeth cast a sideways glance as Maria. Jane shot an approving glance and tiny nod at Elizabeth.

"Then I don't know how you can really help her."

"Maybe some other magical girl knows where she lives? She was on the tram, she didn't fall off the face of the City...WAIT I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING!" Maria raced back into her room. Excited digging could be heard from the living room as Maria rummaged through her old piles of Power Weapon media and soon an excited squeal came from the room as she raced back out.

"I gotta head to Mama Mahou's! Elizabeth are you coming with me or do you just want to meet at our spot at 10?"

"I'm going to stay here, I have some things I want to do before tonight."

"Ok, I'm going. Bye!"

Jane thought to stop her, to remind her that even though she might be a magical girl and what she did between 10 and 2 was beyond her control she was still a child who still needed her mother's permission to rush out of the house She couldn't bring herself to do it. Even though she was skeptical of how much help her daughter could be to Power Weapon it did her heart good to see her care so much.

It made her think the job she did raising her was far more than 'satisfactory'.

Mama Maho's Mahou Diner or simply 'Mama Mahou's' was an unassuming diner to outsiders. This was intentional. It was, by design, an unassuming place that gained its reputation solely through word of mouth in the magical girl community. The fewer non-magical girls knew of the place, the easier it was prune problematic guests like media or fans with no sense of boundaries. Molly Maho (with help from her children) made it her life's work to create a space for magical girls where they could relax without undesired stress or attention. The food was good, many would say great, the prices were more than reasonable and over 30 years in the game gave Molly the deserved reputation of the 'Den Mother' of magical girls throughout The City. Maria felt silly that she needed her mom to remind her of that.

When Maria came in Molly was taking the order of a pair of magical girls she didn't recognize. The cafe wasn't that busy; it was the lull between the dinner rush and the pre-monster hours get togethers but Maria knew even if it was Molly was no stranger to delegating cafe duties to her children while she stepped away to help a magical girl in need. As she waited for Molly to finish dealing with her immediate customers she quickly scanned the diner. Unfortunately the person she was looking for wasn't there. It was a longshot anyway.

"Hey uh...Mrs. Maho, can I talk to you about something important if you have a minute?"

"Always Maria. You ok?"

"I'm ok. I'm not really here about me right now. Are you familiar with a now aged out Magical Girl named 'Power Weapon'?"

"A little. Mainly because sometimes people would ask if we were related. The answer is no by the way."

"Why would people ask if you were related?"

"Well she was a part of Team Power and I was Power Punch during my patrolling days so people thought there might be a connection. Some people swear they saw a familial resemblance between me and her partner Power Pop. Personally I don't but what can you do?"

Maria took a good look at Molly and compared her to her mental visual of Power Pop. She didn't have the heart to admit that it definitely looked feasible that they could be mother and daughter.

"I mean you'd think that rumor would be put to bed when her and her dad did the Magical Girl soda thing for Pop's Soda. But enough about that? What do you want with Power Weapon?"

"Well, I'm a really big fan of hers and..."

Molly seldom interrupted but wanted to head this off at the pass "Maria you know I don't give out personal information even if I knew. Which I don't. Sorry."

"No no it's not that." _Not entirely that_ Maria was forced to admit to herself. "I met her today. She didn't seem well. She kinda seemed like a...my mom said _Nahou_ is a bad word but...is it a bad word?"

Molly sternly nodded in the affirmative.

"That's what she seemed like. She looked like she was really messed up and needed help."

"What led you there?"

Maria once again shared all the clues, both obvious or subtle, that she unearthed in her interactions with Olivia with Molly. Molly listened with motherly concern but there was at least something in the details that elated her.

"Oh my, they're finally _dating._ I don't know too much about them but Power Pop sought my help exactly once. She wanted an ear to listen to that and she wanted the recipe for my raspberry tarts. Couldn't give her that. We cooks gotta protect our recipes." Molly quickly remembered she was burying the lead. "But oh my. She sounds like she might be a textbook case of PMDD or maybe even PMDPD."

"PMDD? PMDPD"

"It's short for 'Post-Magic Departure Depression and 'Post-Magic Departure Personality Disorder'. When somebody is called a... _nahou_ they're probably suffering from one of both of those."

"How do you know those fancy doctor terms?" Maria figured such things to be the demesne of medical journals rather than cafe matrons.

"It's my job to know. I'm not just a cafe owner. I'm also on the Board of Directors of MAGICS."

"Magics?" Maria was amazed to hear that Molly was on the board of directors of anything.

"Magical Adult Girl Intervention and Counseling Services. Our main goal is to help girls with PMDD and PMDPD adjust to adult civilian life."

"So you CAN help her!" Maria gushed.

"I mean maybe but she has to come to us. Unless she's the victim/perpetrator of abuse or is having substance abuse issues. And even then Intervention is a last resort."

Maria dearly hoped neither of those things applied to Olivia.

"Has she come to you?"

"Not to me personally? To MAGICS? I can't say for sure. From where we are now there are ultimately only two things to do to help her; you can tell her about MAGICS and you can tell her about me. I'm not a therapist but sometimes people aren't ready for proper therapy and just need a sympathetic ear until they are."

Maria counted this as a win, even if it wasn't the resounding victory she wanted. There's was still a little problem but one she had the means to fix.

"One more question. Does Power Victory come in here often?"

"Team Victory doesn't come in here much Maria. I think I might have angered Paper Victory a little when I refused to allow the diner to be depicted on her card game. I didn't want to turn her down but that would have been too much publicity."

"Alright then. I guess I have some sleuthing to do."

"You should really respect her privacy Maria."

"I don't want to know where she lives, I just need to know where she patrols."

Molly didn't really want Maria to run around asking those kind of questions in her diner, but she let her objections fall by the wayside. Truth be told, Molly found the story of Olivia's behavior alarming and hoped Maria would be able to find a way to reach out of her. Even if she didn't know what Power Victory had to do with it.

It didn't take Maria long to find a magical girl who knew where Team Victory generally patrolled so beyond that there was little for her to do but place a little order (she was still full of pizza but it would be rude not to) and wait until 10.

It was barely 8 so she was in for a long wait.


	4. Chapter 4

Maria knew her sister would be at their meeting place at least 20 minutes early. A fact Maria was tremendously grateful for tonight.

"Hey Elizabeth. Transform, we're moving out."

"It's not even close to 10 yet."

"It's going to take us a bit to get where we're going."

"We're going somewhere? What about patrol?"

"There's enough overlapping coverage here that nothings going to go uncovered. Let's go." With this Maria darted southeast, leaving Elizabeth with no choice but to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"Block 22"

"That's so far away. Why?"

"If you had come with me we could have taken the tram."

"I had homework. So don't you."

Maria had no reply to this as homework was the last thing on her mind right now. So she just opted to answer Elizabeth's question.

"It's where Team Victory patrols."

"Team Victory? Why do you walk to talk to them for?"

"Alright so I rummaged through all my Power Weapon stuff earlier, I was specifically looking for an issue of 10PM magazine that had the last publicized interview with Team Power. It was like 2 years ago. After all the hype from the Marissa Kay controversy had died down and nobody was really interested in Power Weapon anymore. That interview had something that almost nothing else had on Team Power. The 3rd member."

"Team Power had a 3rd member? I thought it was just Weapon and Pop."

"Nope. Awhile after the Marissa Kay incident they added a 3rd member. Power Fenix. I had to double check the magazine pictures to be sure but Power Fenix is obviously now known as Power Victory."

"So you're hoping she can lead you to Power Weapon? Are you sure that will work?"

"No I'm not sure but there's only one way to find out. Besides that Mrs. Maho let something slip. Power Pop's dad is the maker of Pops Soda." Maria was starting to feel like a regular Magical Girl Detective Kaylin.

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"We might be able to use that information to track her down. We know that _she_ knows about Power Weapon because we saw them together. Power Weapon confirmed it herself. It's a longshot and hopefully I won't have to resort to it."

"Why are you so intent on this? What would you even tell her?"

"Mrs. Maho is on the board of directors for an organization called MAGICS. It's an anagram of something but the point is it's a place where people help people with PM...PD..people like Power Weapon who are having trouble dealing with not being a magical girl anymore." Maria was somewhat embarrassed that she couldn't remember the details Molly gave her but they were rather obtuse anyway.

"Oh wow. That would be perfect." But something about Maria's plan was still bothering her. "But we go to school with Team Victory. Why not just wait until then?"

Maria certainly wasn't about to admit that Elizabeth had a point she didn't think of. Besides they had already come this far and she was eager to put things into motion.

"Because they're becoming popular. I'm sure they're flanked by fans in the morning and I don't share any classes with Fenix. I have city studies with Paper Victory but I am NOT trusting that girl with a message. That just leaves lunch and I need lunch to catch up on homework."

"You should have at least brought it to Mama Mahous with you."

"I didn't want to get ketchup stains on it. Also I'm busy doing important work." Maria once again didn't want to admit Elizabeth had a good idea. Killing time at Mama Mahous for over an hour was awful.

"Alright Maria. Let's just do this quick. I don't like abandoning our post." Elizabeth couldn't stop thinking about their route and if it would really be ok without them.

"Patrol routes are suggestions. Power Weapon never worried about them. Let's go!"

"Let's just check the maps on the way to make sure we don't get lost ok."

 _Another good idea_. Maria just couldn't stand it.

* * * * * * * * *

Barely 10:30 and the night had already gotten off to a _great_ start in the estimation of Alexis Bailey.

"Lily! Is that damn web done yet!" The magical girl also known as Pixel Victory yelled as she dodged the attack of a tiny monster that was little more than a giant mouth with chicken legs. Several of them were in Alexis's vicinity, one of them connected to her magic game controller. She used that one to attack and devour the one that just attacked her. But there were others, and a large one her other partner was squaring off against.

"I didn't know I'd actually need to know how to sew to use her abilities!" From the rooftop a flustered Lily Windham tried her best to weave a web of magical foil thread across two buildings. It wasn't going very well. "I'm doing my best!"

"Was really hoping your best would be good enough tonight Lily! Maria! Stop playing around with the big one and finish it off so you can help me. I'm not great at crowd control!"

"It's so big and durable. I'm having trouble hitting a _coup de gras."_ The magical girl currently known as Power Victory said as she effortlessly dodged one of the large monster's attacks while kicking one of the smaller monsters hard into the barrier in a single graceful move. "I'm doing what I can to help. You're doing fine." Alexis uttered a flustered grunt as she weaved around another monster's lunge. 

"It doesn't feel like it." Alexis steered the monster she was controlling to take another bite out of the monster that just flew by her.

A few moments later and...

"Ok, this is the best I can do!" Lily yelled from the rooftop upon finishing her very saggy web.

"Then here we go!" Maria deftly grabbed one of the large monsters' legs and began swinging it around like a centrifuge, knocking aside some of the smaller monsters (and almost Alexis). Once sufficient momentum was achieved Maria launched the monster at the web. It crashed through and fell into a heap, completely wrapped and bound in the thread.

Alexis was exasperated.

"I THOUGHT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GET SLICED UP!"

"It needed to be tighter I think. I'm sorry Lexi!" Lily hated disappointing her friends but she had so many powers at her disposal she couldn't be expected to master all of them.

"We can work with this." Maria yelled as she lept to the top of the rooftop and ran along the edge towards the monster. once she got in range she did a 180, then a backflip off the roof, another 180 then a 450 degree spin into...

"PHOENIX SPLASH!" Maria screamed as she belly flopped onto the tangled monster, turning it into purple vapor.

"I am very glad you are all having fun." Alexis said as she took advantage of Maria and the monster vacating the area to put some distance between her and the few remaining monsters.

"I'm coming to help!" Maria said running back towards Alexis.

"Me too!" Lily yelled as she rappelled from the rooftop.

"Just in time." Alexis yelled sarcastically as her monster thrall ate one of the few remaining monsters. She was about to finish the last of them when from literal nowhere another magical girl appeared in the same area, stabbing the same monster with a knife.

"AAAAH WHAT THE HELL!" A started Alexis almost fell off her chair in shock.

"Looked like you could use the assist." A smug Shadow Witch said taking just a tiny bit of amusement in Alexis's reaction. Elizabeth quickly caught up with her sister.

"Are you ok, we could hear you from a block away. That sounded like a heck of a...WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE ME?" 

"Me?" Lily asked before looking down at her own outfit and coming to the realization that the magical girl whose powers she was borrowing was standing right in front of her. "Oh oh! You're Stitch Witch. Hi! I'm Paper Victory. I borrow other magical girls powers...and outfits." Lily then had a brilliant idea? "Can you teach me how to use your powers. I apparently didn't do a very good job." As soon as Lily asked her costume reverted from Stitch Witch to her default costume. 'Awww.'

"The real Stitch Witch? That's a heck of a coincidence" Alexis said, forcing the last of the monsters to eat itself in a gruesome and confusing display. "So that would make the one who scared me half to death ummmm..."

"Shadow Witch. Was that tiny monster giving you a hard time?"

"There were a lot of them and I'm mostly support."

Shadow Witch realized that if she gave the wheelchair bound Alexis too much sass Elizabeth would come down on her hard so she changed the subject. "We're actually here to talk to Power Victory? is she here."

In her tunnel vision she failed to realize Power Victory was barely 5 feet away from Alexis.

"Hi, that's me. What can I do for you?"

"Oh wow you really are Power Fenix. I mean you _were_ Power Fenix weren't you? You don't have a twin who's also a magical girl do you?"

"Wow, most people don't know I was in Team Power. Annoying since I was in Team Power was two damn years." Power Victory's umbrage towards spending her early years as a magical girl in almost total obscurity rankled even now that her stock was rising.

"So you know Power Weapon?"

Power Victory's visage went pale.

"Oh no is Olivia ok? Are you from block 12? Is my family ok?"

"Oh oh no. Everything is fine. Nothing like that. It's just...I met...Olivia today. On the bus. She didn't seem well."

"What do you mean?"

For the 3rd time, Shadow Witch went into full detail describing her encounter with Power Weapon. Power Victory was relieved nothing catastrophic had happened but didn't like the story Shadow Witch was telling her.

"...are you still in touch with her? Is she ok?"

Power Victory could tell the girl in front of her was clearly concerned about Olivia, and now even she was a little concerned about Olivia, but she also didn't want to give out too many details about Olivia's life, especially ones told in presumed confidence.

"Ok here's the deal. Oliva _is_ going through some stuff right now. She _has_ had a bit of a hard time with it lately. But don't worry too much. My family and I are currently helping her out however we can."

"Do you think she has MGPPP..MP...do you think she's like a nahou but not in a derogatory way just in a 'she's having trouble letting go of being a magical girl' way?"

"Like I said, she's been having a hard time. But she's been doing better. You might have just caught her on a bad day. Thanks for letting me know this though. I think I should check on her tomorrow regardless."

Meanwhile caught as the fifth wheel in 2 conversations Alexis was literally spinning her wheels when...

"Leeeexi...can you give me a mulligan?"

"Lily, why do you need a mulligan? Why did you even transform? We're just talking."

"The real Stitch Witch is here to give me pointers. I want to transform back into her but I didn't get the card so I need you to mulligan me."

"Lily, we've been over this. You have access to 312 magical girl powers. You draw 7 cards at a time. I'd have to give you 45 mulligans on average to get you to the specific magical girl you want and I'm not doing that."

"Don't you want me to learn how to use her powers?"

"Not that badly. Just don't use her. Her powers seem to be situational anyway no offense."

"Ok ok, can you just give me one mulligan then?"

"Why?"

"Because I thought you'd mulligan me so I picked my card at random and now I'm Mindful Eye." Lily said, adorned in a holofoil bindi with her sigil prominently displayed on her head.

"What's so bad about that?"

"She's a non-combat magical girl."

"Why do you even HAVE non-combat magical girl cards?"

"I don't know how my power works, ask the dream."

"Alright, alright. Don't want to run into monsters with you having no combat skills." Alexis said, throwing the plug of her controller into Alexis's side, where it affixed itself to her body.

Elizabeth had never seen this before.

"Ew."

"DownDownUpDownDownAAABBAAA boom. Mulligan." Alexis said, furiously pressing at the controls of her controller. When she was done Lily defaulted back to her normal magical girl outfit.

Alexis was amused by Elizabeth's response to her powers.

"Hey Stitch Witch. Wanna be 10 feet tall? I can totally do that, let me plug you in and..."

"NO!" Elizabeth jumped back as if afraid Alexis was going to try to do it without her permission.

"Elizabeth you ok?" Shadow Witch immediately jumped in response to her sister's seemingly unprompted exasperation.

"I'm fine Maria."

"Oh wow, your name is Maria too huh?" Power Victory found slight amusement in this coincidence.

"Same name buddies!" Shadow Witch lifted her fist, which Power Victory happily bumped. "But anyway, when you check up on Olivia tomorrow can you tell her something? Mama Mahou is on the board of directors of MAGICS and if Olivia needs any help at all to go to Mama Mahou's Diner and ask."

Victory thought back to when she gave Olivia the paperwork for MAGICS months ago and wondered if she ever filled it out.

"Will do. Thanks Shadow."

"No problem. Olivia is my hero and even if she wasn't it's hard to see. My mom went through a lot of the same stuff I learned today. It gave me a lot to think about. Like, we really need to take care of each other, both out here and in the city in general. The city treats this as volunteer work, foundationists and the media use us for their own ends, the public kinda forgets about us as soon as they get bored. Who else do we have?"

Power Victory, who had to this point been basking in her newfound media visibility, stopped to chew on Shadow Witch's comments for a moment.

"Maybe you have a point."

"Anyway, I think we need to head back to our patrol area. Elizabeth wasn't really happy coming out this far. She's the responsible one. Take care Maria. And if you could keep me updated about Olivia here and there at school I wouldn't mind. If you're not too big to be seen with me of course."

"Pffft, popularity does not in any way make me better than you. You have a good sister and I'm sure you are a good sister. Take care ok?"

"Thanks. Ready to go Elizabeth?"

"Awww do you have to go already?" Lily was sad to part from her new friend so soon.

"We have to head back to our own block. It's a while away. It was nice meeting you. All of you."

Friendly parting waves were had as Team Witch went back to their block and Team Victory were left with a lot to think about.


	5. Chapter 5

At long last, Olivia Smith was dying her hair.

And it felt good. The hated blonde gave way to the familiar black. She began to feel like herself again even as the dye was drying.

"Dammit Candi. It couldn't have at least been a black dress." She didn't exactly know who she was these days but she knew, whether she was Power Weapon or Olivia Smith, yellow was not her color.

Olivia was relaxing on the couch, plastic strips in her hair, chemical smell in the air when there was a knock at the door. Knocks weren't unfamiliar. They were almost always Ma Alvarez with leftovers. Or sometimes money. Sometimes both. Olivia helped out with little things at the gym to 'earn her keep' but she had the feeling this had no bearing on Ma's generosity. This time it was Maria.

"Oh hey Maria. Making time from being a big shot to see your old partner?"

Maria knew this wasn't actually a shot at her but it still hurt a little. She already felt a little guilty about not checking on her more often, even moreso after last night.

"Yeah, sorry for not being around more often. I brought you leftovers. We had lasagna. It's still warm. You barely have to microwave it at all. What's that smell?"

"Hair dye" Olivia said pointing to her head. "Ma busy? She's usually the one to bring up the leftovers."

"She usually is busy but no. I wanted to bring it up myself. Like I said, I'm sorry for not being around more often. Training and school and patrol and now all this publicity I barely have any time at all anymore. Thank the Founder Queens' week is coming up so I can take a breather."

"Maria I didn't mean to guilt trip you. I know you're busy and you don't need to check up on me. I'm doing fine alright? Better than fine right now." Olivia pointed to her head, which in all honesty _was_ making her feel better.

 _"Are you now"_ was the first thought to appear in Maria's head but she knew better than to express it. "That's good. Did you take care of your gym routine today?"

"While you were at school. Check out these gains." Olivia flexed at Maria even though she felt a little embarrassed to do so. "I'm up to 112. 15 pounds from where I started. All muscle baby."

"Nice. It shouldn't _all_ be muscle though. You need some cushion too. How have you been eating?"

"You know I eat like a bird."

"You really should eat more."

"Are you Ma now?"

"No, I just come from a family of health nuts who know eating too little is as bad as eating too much."

"I'll try. But I just get full so easily. I couldn't even eat a pancake from Diney's yesterday."

"Was that a date night with Candi?"

"Uh, yeah."

"How did it go?" Maria already knew the answer thanks to the member of Team Witch who shared her name but she wanted to hear what Olivia was going to say about it.

"...It went fine." Olivia's words would not have been convincing even if Maria didn't already know better.

Maria knew she was going to have to broach the topic eventually but she didn't quite know how. Then she saw the MAGICS paperwork on Olivia's table.

"Did you ever submit your paperwork to MAGICS?"

"To what?" Olivia played dumb.

"The counseling center. For grown-up magical girls."

"Oh that...I kinda forgot about it."

Maria didn't know exactly why Olivia was clearly lying but decided it was time to shoot her shot. "Olivia, do you know about Mama Mahous' diner?"

"Sorta. Candi tried to get me to go there a few times when we were patrolling but I didn't bite." Olivia suddenly realized that back then Candi didn't have her _completely_ wrapped around her finger. "I didn't even go to the cafeteria more than I had to when I was in school, I wasn't keen on being ass-to-elbows with other magical girls in a cafe. Wait, didn't you go there with her at least once?"

Maria remembered it being about half a dozen times with Candi. Sometimes she'd invite her when Olivia wasn't around. Maria guessed at some point Candi didn't want to make Olivia uncomfortable by continuing to prod. She stopped and wondered why she had only been there once with Lily and Alexis. They usually did Denbys where the food was cheap and plentiful. Maria ate so many calories she wasn't terribly picky about what went into her mouth.

"Oh right. I think I remember now. Anyway, I caught it on the grapevine that the owner, Molly is on the board of directors for MAGICS and if somebody was...having trouble getting in she could help."

A light went off in Olivia's head, but she wasn't about to dare to hope so easily. "Like she's going to take time off from running a cafe to help somebody with paperwork."

"That's exactly what Molly would do. It's why the place is so popular."

Olivia secretly beamed from the inside. She didn't know if Molly could actually help her, she just knew she was sick of that paperwork and its Citizen Identification Number bullshit taunting her.

"Oh. Huh. I'll keep it in mind then." Olivia really didn't want to admit she needed help to Maria. If she wasn't so ashamed she would have just asked her what a Citizen's Identification Number was.

"So anyway I need to skip out. Haven't actually done my reps yet..." Maria had a contemplative second. "Unless you wanna hang out some."

"Hanging out with me over your reps?"

"With all the stuff going on in my life sometimes I have skip some stuff. You know, _priorities_ and all. So what about it?"

"All the same Maria I have to pass. I just need to wait for my hair to dry then I have some stuff I have to do."

"Oh, all right then. I'll talk to you later then alright. I should hopefully have some time during Queens' Week." Maria almost asked what 'some stuff' was. But she knew better.

"Later Maria. Thanks for checking in." Olivia was glad Maria didn't press the topic. She didn't want to admit she was going to go to a cafe to ask a complete stranger to help with sensitive documentation.

Maria closed the door, really hoping that _other stuff_ was what she hoped it was.

* * * * * * * *  
  


_Shit! Why didn't I think of the fucking dinner rush!_

Olivia was already starting to think this was a bad idea. Partially because of the poor timing on her part and partially because a year of retirement didn't make her any more comfortable around a bunch of magical girls. Much less so as it turned out. She thought of giving up. Declaring this an intensely stupid idea, leaving the diner and never going back.

_No. I...need...help. More help. More help than Ma or Maria or Candi can give me. They can't understand, they can't hope to understand and I can barely stop thinking about it. So much...it._

Olivia stood dumb, uncertain about what her next move would be. Standing here was right out. Taking a booth? They were all full. A seat at the counter? Still too crowded and she didn't _belong_ here. Hang out outside until the lunch rush was over? People would think she was loitering. Take a walk and come back when things had calmed down? Yes. That was the plan. Perfect.

Through the masses of unnatural hair colors Molly Maho couldn't help but take note that the girl with the most muted colors in her entire diner was the one who stood out the most. She looked just a little too old to be a magical girl. She had short black hair (Molly could swear she could smell subtle dye fumes from somewhere), roughly 10 pounds of metal in her face. A black 'Metal Monster' T-Shirt and black jeans to match. And most tellingly a rolled up pile of papers in her hand. Molly could never remember seeing the girl herself before but she remembered the conversation she had with Team Witch's Maria last night and would have bet that this was Power Weapon. And she looked like she was about to leave.

"Hey hon can I get you anything?" Molly projected over the din of the crowd, making sure Olivia could hear her. Making sure Olivia knew she was talking to her.

"Me?" Olivia said in confusion.

"You look lost. This usually works better when you're closer to the counter if you don't mind."

Olivia moved closer to the counter but had no idea what she wanted to order.

"Ummmm, is it ok if I'm here? This seems to be a..."

"A magical girl place? Yup. But if I'm right you're a magical girl too arn't you?"

"Not anymore."

"Here at Mama Mahous once a magical girl, always a magical girl. You may not have powers anymore but always remember you have magic inside you."

"Are you...Molly Maho?"

"In the flesh dear. What can I help you with?" Molly made a slight nudge to the papers in Olivia's hand "Guessing you arn't here for the dinner rush."

"Ummm...no. Is that ok?"

"Sometimes help is more important than dinner. Guessing you need some help with those papers in your hand?"

"How did you know?"

"Well you look a little old to be a student with homework. Even if you were you'd have a bag or at least a book to go with it. Are those MAGICS papers by chance?"

_Is this woman fucking psychic?_

"Uh...yeah. I'm, um...having some problems with it and I heard that you might be able to help. But I didn't think of the lunch rush. I'm sorry I'll come back another time."

_If this girl leaves she might not come back. I don't want to bail in the middle of the lunch rush but I think this girl might be a priority._

"Please don't. I don't run this place on my own. Hold on just a second." Molly turned her attention back to the kitchen area. "Hey Matthew! I need to do something in the back. Can you take over on the counter?"

"NOW MOM?" A voice rang from the kitchen.

"Sorry, can't hold off on this."

"Alright, wish you wouldn't do this during the dinner rush."

"At least it's not the pre-patrol rush. Besides it's almost over."

" _Sorry_." Olivia meekly uttered, certainly this 'Matthew' didn't hear her.

"Oh dear. Let's take this to my office." Molly led Olivia to the back, beyond the noise of the afternoon, into a quiet alcove on the other side of the kitchen.

Molly suddenly had a hunch and felt like if it was right it was going to quell a lot of the nervous static between the two of them.

"Take a seat and I'll be right back."

Olivia did as instructed, even though she was feeling more and more uncomfortable about this by the second. _She left her whole diner high and dry during rush to deal with my bullshit. She left the whole dinner rush to deal with the bullshit of a girl she hadn't even met._ And she didn't even need to ask. Somehow, **somehow** this woman she had never met sussed out her intent and led her through the steps of offering her assistance. Not only did she agree, she wouldn't even take 'we'll do this later' as an answer. Olivia was starting to think this woman either led her back here to help her or kill her.

Molly quickly returned with something wrapped in a napkin. The smell immediately clued Olivia in on what it was.

_A Raspberry Tart._

Molly handed the treat to an absolutely stunned, and a slightly terrified, Olivia.

"They're my favorite. How did you know?"

_Oh my goodness Molly. These tarts are amazing. I'm a baker myself and I'd LOVE the recipe._

_Molly...I'm in love with my partner. Like, since the moment I first saw her. I don't even know why. Maybe I just have a thing for bad girls. But from the moment I first saw her I felt like I had to be in her life. And I felt like she needed me in her life. Maybe it was just a silly crush at first but I've been by her side for 3 years now and it's not. It's not a crush. It's not something that went away. It's with me every day. And I don't know if I'll ever know how she feels about me. She doesn't hate me. For all her bluster she never hated me. She's been a dog with a thorn in her paw. Scared of everybody. Pushing everybody away. But I somehow, against all odds, have been able to stay with her. And I guess that will have to be enough for now because I might never truly know how she feels. And if I tell her, she might push me away so hard I'll never get to come back. And that makes me a little sad. But I don't think it's hopeless. Because sometimes I see glimmers. Sometimes I see something peeking through. Sometimes I realize she's going along with almost everything I say. Sometimes I see her slowing her steps so I can catch up with her and I think maybe, maybe, she loves me back. But she's so scared I don't know if she'd ever admit it. And I want nothing more than to kiss that fear away. But I don't know how...please tell me how._

_Sometimes people have to come to their own conclusions. You're still young and what I'm about to tell you now will be the hardest thing you'll have to accept. Wait. Be strong. Be there for her. But wait. You both have a lot of growing up to do and a lot of realities to face. If you love her, wait. If she loves you, she won't be able to hide it forever._

"I didn't...I just had a little hunch."

"Are you psychic?" Olivia said through a mouthful of tart.

"No, no. Just insightful. You get feelings after being at this as long as I have. Now through all this I don't believe I've gotten your name. Swallow your food before answering."

"Olivia. Olivia Smith. I was Power Weapon when I was an active magical girl." Olivia got out between bites.

Molly would have felt pretty ridiculous if this girl wasn't Power Weapon after all this.

"So Olivia, what can I help you with today?"

"This is gonna sound dumb but this paperwork is so confusing to me." Maria laid the rolled up MAGICS paperwork on the desk. "There's so much shit here I've never heard of. Citizen Identification Number? What the hell is that?"

"Do you have a CIN card dear? Most people keep it in their wallets and everybody should have one."

Olivia stood dumbfounded.

"Wait, my _sin_ card? That sounds familiar." Olivia dug out how wallet and sure enough, her Citizen Identification Number (also known as a CIN, or 'Sin' card) was staring her in the face. And behind that? Her magical girl identification number. "Are you KIDDING ME? I am such a fucking idiot. Sorry for wasting your time."

"Oh enough of that talk. You'd be surprised how many adults stumble over that kind of thing. Especially people who were never properly taught about that stuff. I'm guessing your parents never brought that sort of thing up?"

_Oh you have no fucking idea lady._

"No...they didn't." Then Olivia remembered the _real_ sticking point in all this. "It also wants my birth certificate. But I think that's a problem. See, I was orphaned right after I got my powers..."

"That's terrible!"

Olivia knew she had to pretend it was terrible.

"Yeah...I didn't really register. More I _was_ registered. The adults in the CDD did most of the work but I remember something they said. They said I didn't have a birth certificate. I certainly didn't care about that then and..."

"How do you _not_ have a birth certificate. They probably just screwed up."

"I don't think they did. You see my ma...my parents likely hid my existence from The City...they were horrible."

"Oh no. Did you ever take this up with the counselors at school."

"No. I didn't think I needed them."

"Oh dear." It was not at all hard for Molly to see the girl Maria described the previous night sitting before her right now. "Anyway, if you were enrolled in Future's Promise without a birth certificate odds are the City filed some kind of replacement document in its place. Now you can either go to city hall and procure a copy of whatever document that might be or..." Molly flipped a few pages of the paperwork and scribbled off that section. "you look like you were born to me. Yup. Definitely born. I'm on the board. They won't go against my word. We just have to have that stuff on file so the City doesn't think we're making girls up to get more donations and funding. But you have enough stuff here to prove your existence already."

"Oh, haha." Olivia was almost in tears over how easy this was as she continued filling out the parts of the paperwork she understood. Molly was there all the while to answer small questions she had throughout. Until the final part.

"What Services Are You Seeking to Procure From Us?" Olivia could only gaze at the question. "That feels so formal. I mean I understand what they're asking but I don't know how to respond. I mean..counseling right? That's what you do? Why ask?"

"We do other things. Drug Rehabilitation, Group Therapy, Job Skill training, housing assistance...do you need any of these." Molly always dearly hoped the answer wasn't 'Drug Rehabilitation'

"Maybe job training. Should I put that down? How do I phrase it. Seems weird to reply to such a formal question with like a 3 word answer.."

"Oh these things just like stuffing their britches to seem important. Let's instead pretend you're at the counter of the diner and I or one of my kids asks 'What can I do for ya?' It's the same thing really. if the answer is a 3 word answer, then that's just fine.

"Ok then..." Olivia did think of words she could say above simply 'Therapy and job training'

"Does job training consist of mathematics...lessons or something? I really got off to a late start on that and I took classes in Future's Promise but they were all above my level I'm still kinda math illiterate."

"A lot adult magical girls still struggle with math. Magical girls who struggle with academics can sometimes fall through the cracks at Future's Promise. It's a great school for academically gifted girls. For those who arn't...it's a way to sleep in."

Olivia couldn't understand how Molly Maho was so gifted at making her feel better about things. It was like nobody she ever met. Not even Candi.

"Ok then. I think I'm about finished here. Do I just leave this with you or send it out or..."

"Leave it with me dear. I'll file it at the site and people should get in contact with you in the next week or two. And if two weeks pass without hearing from anybody come back here and I'll help you straighten it out."

_Why Molly Maho. Why are you so good?_

"Thank you Mrs. Maho."

"My pleasure." Molly was about to get back to the counter but from bits and pieces Olivia put together she needed therapy. She _absolutely_ needed therapy. But that would still be weeks from now. "Actually Olivia. It'll be a bit before you can start therapy. Now I'm no therapist but I've been listen to the problems of magical girls since before some of our therapists were born. So if you need an ear right now I'm more than happy to listen."

"But the dinner rush..."

"Is over now. Might need to cut you off before the patrol rush though. That gets crazy sometimes." Molly grinned.

"There's just so much. So much and I don't know how to begin." And that's where Olivia began. She started talking. Starting sharing all the things she shared with Maria. And Candi. And the things that she hadn't even shared with them yet. She started to get afraid that Molly would actually have to cut her off.

"...she said I was a goddess. Said she worshiped me. I snapped at her. Nobody ever worshiped me before. Everybody was supposed to worship me according to my mater. I was supposed to be a be goddess according to her. I thought I was ok with not being a goddess. I know it sounds silly to anybody who didn't grow up in a way that presented that as a very real opportunity. But...it's just so confusing I still can't make sense out of it. My feelings that is."

Molly could not begin to understand the hardships Olivia had been through. She did know one simple way to sum it up however.

"Your mother was awful. Truly terrible Olivia. You didn't deserve that abuse."

Upon hearing that Olivia started to tear up. She knew it, but hearing Molly Maho say it just felt incredibly _powerful._

"I know right? I mean why? Why did they do that? Why did they want a goddess instead of a daughter. It's like I see the love Maria's mother has for her. Hell, I see the love she has for _me._ She didn't raise me, she doesn't even know me really. And I don't understand. I don't understand how it can be real. I see the love Candi's parents have for her, even if her and her mother butt heads and I wonder why that couldn't be me. And I hear about how Lily's dad treats her like her whole world and Alexis' parents fight over her and after all the shit I went through I still can't understand that this all is the fucking norm. _WHY?! WHY THE FUCK COULDN'T I HAVE THAT? WHY THE FUCK DID I HAVE TO BE A GODDESS INSTEAD OF A DAUGHTER!"_

It was a question Molly Maho simply wasn't equipped to answer. She didn't know if Olivia wouldn't have heard it anyway. She had grown more and more broken up over the course of that rant and now she was broken. Head down, staining her office deck with her tears. Molly did the only thing she could think of. She pulled Oliva's head up and gave her her shoulder. 

_Why is this woman so good. She doesn't have to be good. She has no reason to be good. But I can feel love pouring out of everything she says and everything she does. She doesn't love out of obligation or social nuance or a sense of gratitude or even because of any sort of personal bond. She simply loves._

The tears flowed out of Olivia's face freely. More freely than they ever had before. Olivia wasn't afraid to cry. She wasn't ashamed to cry. For the first time she let it all out without a hint of reservation. And at the end a forbidden phrase entered her mind. She felt like she should have kept it to herself but somehow it broke free.

'Molly...why couldn't you have been my mom?"

Molly didn't know how to answer. She did her best to be the mother figure of every magical girl in town but she knew even that wasn't enough sometimes. This was something she couldn't help and she couldn't change. She only knew one thing to say.

"I don't know sweetie. Just know, I would have been proud to have you as a daughter."


End file.
